


breaking point

by aelescribe



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, idk mannnnn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-19
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-31 19:34:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8590933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aelescribe/pseuds/aelescribe
Summary: Pearl grunts, grits her teeth, bucks against the force keeping her still. Until, finally, she calms with a heavy sigh. Jasper’s sword is discarded past Pearl’s head, but she keeps a tight grip on her own weapon. “You dropped your sword,” Pearl notes.“I had to stop you from hurting yourself.” Pearl lifts her sword to Jasper’s neck, putting some distance between them. “That means I win.”





	

**Author's Note:**

> Originally titled "Bruno Mars Ships Jaspearl" on my google drive, enjoy this nonsense of a lovehatemostlyjustmakingout relationship.

The sword is heavy in her hand. Or perhaps it is the rest of her that’s so heavy making it hard to lift her weapon. But she does; perhaps to spite herself, or perhaps because it’s the only thing that calms her. Even for a second, with this steel in her hand, a calm washes over. She’s familiar with it. So much of her life has been a battle that, when it stands still, she’s left unsure of what to do.

Pearl watches the glitching remnants of her last hologram fade into the horizon, echoing defeat. She’s been at this for hours, conjuring clones to fight. No matter how many enemies she creates, there’s no real challenge. She needs something tough to fight. Something that knocks her out from the rest of the world, if only for a little while.

She runs a hand through her tangled hair with a sigh, trying to ease her headache with slow breaths. The distance sound of the warp pad catches her attention. The gem doesn’t raise her head, gauging the presence by footsteps.

The guest surprises her. “What is it, Jasper?” she says, exasperated, still refusing to turn around.

“I came to check on you. Do you know how long you’ve been here?”

“A few hours.”

“A few  _ days _ ,” Jasper corrects. She sounds annoyed. 

Pearl rubs her dry eyes. How did the time pass so fast? Surely, she had a better grasp on her faculties than this. “Sorry for inconveniencing you,” she grates out. “I’m doing fine, as you can see. Feel free to leave anytime. I’m in the middle of something.”

Jasper’s boots thud against the old stone of the arena. Pearl stiffens as she comes closer, tightening the grip on her sword. “Come home. The others are worried for you.”

“I’m doing  _ fine _ .” She closes her eyes, projecting another hologram as her opponent. No, one is too easy. She projects two, three, four more to join the battle. Five is a good, solid number. All too easy for someone as advanced as her, but well enough of a challenge to be fun. “If you’ll excuse me-”

“Cut it out,” Jasper snaps. She steps closer to Pearl. Pearl ignores her, raising her sword. The clones do the same. “Pearl!”

She doesn’t listen. Pearl charges the clones, slicing through the first with ease. She doubles up against two more, expertly swinging her sword and blocking their blows. She twists one of the projection’s swords away and cuts through it. Then she trips up and slices through the next. That leaves two more. After another quick fray with the fourth, she’s ready to face her last rival.

Pearl stops sharply when she turns around, drawing in a gasp. The blade that would have pierced her gut has been stopped by Jasper. Her helmet gleams harshly by the setting sun. The warrior pummels through the hologram with a grunt, huffing as it fades with the breeze.

“You’re an idiot,” Jasper says, dissolving her weapon.

Pearl glares. “I would have gotten to it myself if you hadn’t gotten in the way.”

“You would’ve been poofed,” Jasper corrects. “And then I’d have to pick up the pieces.”

“I don’t need your help!” Pearl yells, waving her sword wildly in the air. She didn’t want Jasper’s pity, either.

“Too bad.” There’s a shine of compassion in those gold eyes, however brief, that makes Pearl stop, and keeps her curious enough to let Jasper grab her arm. She runs her calloused palm across Pearl’s hand, up her arm, and rests it on her cheek. Gentle, Jasper prods her bruises, lingering on them only for a moment. Pearl curls her fingers around the hilt of her sword, unsure of the attention. “Have you had any rest? At all?” Her annoyance, Pearl realizes, is a show of concern.

“I suppose not. There’s no need for beings such as ourselves to sleep, after all.”

“Quit that smart attitude. I mean taking a break. You’ve been beating yourself to high hell, I’m surprised you haven’t gotten bad enough to warrant a regeneration.” Jasper frowns, biting the inside of her cheek, holding back harsh words. “What are you even doing here?”

Pearl says nothing, letting her gaze drift to the ground. “I come here to think, sometimes.”

Jasper seizes her hand, but gently. Pressing her thumb to the inside of Pearl’s wrist, moving it in soothing circles. “You’ve been doing a lot more than thinking.”

Pearl is surprised. She never would expect this, especially not from Jasper. “Why… why do you care? Did Garnet put you up to this? Or Amethyst?”

“I know what you’re doing. You can’t fight away all your problems, Pearl.” Jasper says dryly.

Pearl narrows her eyes, a strange appreciation for Jasper growing fonder with each second. She’s surprisingly understanding. As if she knows what’s going on. 

A small shudder passes through her when Jasper slides her hand up to test against Pearl's open palm. She meets the orange gem's sad gaze with a sigh. Pearl lets her fingers slide between Jasper’s, a natural motion, and sighs when they intertwine. This softness is something she hasn’t felt in a long while. Her other hand loosens the grip on her sword.

Jasper squeezes her hand, then drags her halfway up the stairs of the arena, sinking onto the steps. She pats the spot next to her and Pearl sits. She’s so incredibly drained, aching to her core with exhaustion. She’s pushed herself too hard. Of course, she must have known before, but it’s only registered now that the world’s stopped spinning. She still refuses to release her weapon. It’s all she knows.

She wipes her eyes. Tries to think of how she can thank her. She can't. She leans heavily on Jasper's arms and closes her eyes, her weakened form relieved for the rest. 

"Battling clones of yourself? No wonder you're bored." Jasper's arms are crossed, and her eyes rest on the clouds drifting across the horizon. "You want a real fight?"

Pearl frowns. "Didn't you just tell me to take a break?" All the same, she's itching for battle.

"I promise I'll go easy on you. This will at least get it out of your system." 

They stand across from each other, sword in hand, tensely waiting to charge. Pearl graces Jasper with a low bow, and Jasper returns the gesture. 

Pearl bends far back when Jasper takes the first swing. She revels in the breeze that follows and for a moment, she's suspended, staring at her scarred reflection in the sword. 

She flattens to the ground and slides to Jasper's other side, striking her arm. She reins herself in, reminds herself where she is. 

Jasper grimaces, wiping a smear of blood from her forearm. Glittering red specks the ground. Still, when she frowns, Pearl doesn't think the wound is what bothers her. "Don't hold back. You won't hurt me."

Pearl stops holding back. 

She's not sure how long they go at it, matching each other blow for blow, relentlessly dancing around each other. Pearl goes hard. She enjoys the sting of the sword when Jasper is lucky enough to nick her skin. And Jasper smirks when Pearl cuts her in tandem.

They are bruised, beaten, and Pearl thrives on her own shrinking health. She pushes herself; harder, faster, determined to take Jasper down. And suddenly, her gem hot, she is engulfed in memorial flames. The screams of the battlefield, the agony of her comrades, and the sheer fact that she is living, she is the only one capable of standing up to this, the only one who is crazy or brave enough to keep fighting slams into her-- the enemy, slamming into her-- Rose calling her--

And Pearl is harshly snapped to the present, Jasper’s bulky form slamming her to the ground.

“Pearl,” Jasper breathes, her hands cupping either side of her face and pinning her squirming body to the ground. “Snap out of it.”

Pearl grunts, grits her teeth, bucks against the force keeping her still. Until, finally, she calms with a heavy sigh. Jasper’s sword is discarded past Pearl’s head, but she keeps a tight grip on her own weapon. “You dropped your sword,” Pearl notes.

“I had to stop you from hurting yourself.” 

Pearl lifts her sword to Jasper’s neck, putting some distance between them. “That means I win.”

“Is that all you care about?” Jasper snorts. Her sharp nails scrape gently against her scalp, soothing her. “I could crack your gem right now in these big, strong hands of mine.” She emphasized her point with her hands tensing in Pearl’s hair. “Your sword means nothing.”

Pearl trailed her blade along Jasper and pressed the blade enough to tear at the cloth over Jasper’s abdomen. “You should know better by now than to underestimate a pearl.”

Their proximity starts to get to Pearl, and Jasper’s warmth startles her. A detail she must have forgotten during the war.

“Your strength was quite unfounded on the field,” Jasper says. She chews at the corner of her lip. “Such a small, powerful,  _ physical _ force.” Pearl gulps as Jasper lowers her body, slowly, as if asking for silent permission to press against her. The heat becomes overwhelming.

And Pearl remembers Jasper’s rough hands, how they used to covet her, caress her. And Pearl clung to her, grasped her, searching for the unfathomable compassion she felt when they touched that drove her through battle after battle.

Pearl keeps her sword pressed against Jasper, wrestling a fistful of hair with her other hand to drag Jasper’s worn lips down to her. A warm rush runs through Pearl and bursts in her chest.  _ No _ , she thinks, as Jasper freezes, but eventually reciprocates full force. With every shudder, every second the kiss deepens, the  _ No _ gets louder and louder. She drowns it out and when they part, staring at each other in shock, they gravitate back towards each other. Pearl kisses her harder, and Jasper groans, sinking her massive body against Pearl and encompassing her completely; and the warmth gets stronger, the  _ No _ gets quieter, and they surrender to each other’s lustful whims.

Jasper edges her knee between Pearl’s legs and Pearl grinds against her shamelessly. She gropes the warrior’s waist and chest, sneaking her hand beneath the tear in her uniform. Jasper breaks the kiss to exhale a curse into Pearl’s neck. They are too close, this is too fast, and they both struggle to keep up with each other. 

“I don’t know what to think,” Pearl mumbles as Jasper’s hand trails to take the place of her between Pearl’s thighs. She sighs, tosses her head back and forth. “I don’t know what to think of us.”

Jasper pauses. “Do you want me to stop?”

Pearl shakes her head. Sets her sword down and holds Jasper’s face in trembling hands, until her gem scratches Pearl’s nose. “I need you,” she whispers. “ _ Please _ .”

“Then don’t think.” Jasper implores her with heavy strokes and kisses along her neck. “Just be here. Stay with me.”

She kisses her and loses herself into the abyss of Jasper’s power once more, both of them wrestling for control. Pearl lets it all drown her senses out, even the warp pad sounding in the distance.

“Pearl!”

Jasper flicks her tongue over Pearl’s lips hungrily, and slowly withdraws from the kiss. She keeps Pearl pinned against the ground as footsteps grow louder, echoing on the weathered stone steps. “Get off her!”

Amethyst draws her weapon and Jasper kneels back, sitting herself on Pearl’s legs. She raises her hands. “No need for alarm,” Jasper assures her without taking her eyes off Pearl. 

“Jasper,” Garnet warns. “Remove yourself from her.”

“We were sparring,” Pearl says. She tries to ground herself, missing Jasper’s warmth horribly when she gets up, clinging to the fleeting stroke of Jasper’s hand against her thigh. She extends that same hand to help Pearl to her feet. “I won.”

“Did not,” Jasper mutters, feigning hurt over the scrapes on her arm. “Why are you here?”

Garnet crosses her arms. “You were taking too long.”

Amethyst lowers her weapon at last. “And we don’t trust you.”

“Of course. I don’t need a reminder. Your help is unwanted and unneeded.” Jasper’s gaze lands on Pearl. “She’s ready to come, now. Just needed to get it out of her system.”

Pearl watches Jasper leave. The three of them are silent for a long time, until the warp pad sounds and Jasper is gone.

“Let’s go,” Garnet says, placing a hand on Pearl’s shoulder. She’s suddenly so heavy, and struggles not to lean on Garnet for support. 

Amethyst breaks the tense silence. “Steven’s worried for you. We all are.”

“I’m fine,” Pearl says.

“You’re foolish and impulsive,” Garnet corrects. “And obviously not doing fine.”

“We’re here for you, Pearl,” Amethyst affirms, gently taking her hand. 

Pearl hates her friends treating her as if she’s spiraling out of control, but she can’t justify otherwise. So she lets them hold her up all the way back to the warp pad while her mind lingers on the fading sensation of Jasper’s touch, and the dangerous compulsion to go back that she finds herself in, that she knows she will find herself in again despite her best efforts. 

Jasper's next touch can't come soon enough.


End file.
